New project to analyse how COVID-19 is affecting children’s wellbeing

The project will investigate coping and wellbeing in a community sample of children aged 7-11 years, and their families, during the COVID-19 crisis.

Led by Dr Katie Quy and Dr Lisa Fridkin, the study will examine the types of coping strategies which might be helpful or unhelpful for children and their parents or carers. It will also look at what needs to be done to help children both manage the current situation and recover afterwards.

Data will be collected using online questionnaires that will be completed at home by children aged 7-11 years old (School Years 2-6) and their families. The researchers will compare this data with existing data collected during a previous study to determine how the crisis might be affecting children and their families.

Dr Quy said: “Children and families are living through extraordinary events with impacts in all areas of family life, from the overlap of work, home and education, to economic uncertainty and social disruption. We are keen to explore children’s and parents’ perspectives on how this ‘new normal’ might be impacting wellbeing, and the kinds of strategies families are using to navigate the situation.”

Links

• Coping and wellbeing in families during the COVID-19 crisis
• COVID-19 research at UCL Institute of Education
• Thomas Coram Research Unit
• Department of Social Science